The War Room Concept in Project Management

The War Room Concept or the War Room Approach is an expression that appears every once in a while in the field of project management. But what exactly is the War Room Concept? Well, this article shall provide an explanation =]

Imagine that your team is working on a massive project. Something that requires a lot of resources and engagement, and also flawless communication between the team members. However, the bigger the project gets, the more challenging it is to work on it. That is when the communication becomes the major factor, the absolute must-have in the company. Only the properly conducted conversations will ensure that there are no flaws in the project development.

Okay, but what does the War room has to do with it? And what exactly is it? Have you ever watched a movie in which any sort of conflict between the countries or cataclysm takes place? If yes, you must remember where is the President of The United States sitting the whole time. In a room full of screens and controllers, with blinking lights and people running from one place to another. Well, that would be it – the War Room! Maybe it does not look nearly that dramatic when it comes to working on the project but the atmosphere can as tense, as during any Earth-threatening cataclysm!

The idea of war room is to gather all the vital information in one place and brainstorm with all the people who are working on a particular project. The President (I mean, the Project Manager) is asking questions, and the Generals (ekhm, employees?) answer them. The key decision makers are given the most relevant information – everything in order to improve the process. Perhaps the technology is not as sophisticated as in the movies – whiteboards and regular computers are doing the trick.

Where all the key members of our team are gathered in the room, we are sure that the flow of information will not be disturbed by any random factor. Thus, the company surely benefits from the situation – all the obstacles are quickly identified and removed, and the co-operation between the team members increases, as well as team focus and the working relationship.

Thus, most companies either have a war room or rent one when the need for it appears. After all, clarifying the chaotic situation is the first thing every team has to do in order to preserve the workflow.

So, whatever your company does, if it involves team co-operation, you better make sure that there is one huge room with a big table and a board inside the building. If not, either make on, or look for one that can be hired in the close neighborhood (up to 15 minutes ride from your company’s base.) Actually, its size can vary, depending on the number of your team members. It can be a separate office space, where the project’s operations are orchestrated without the noise and other distractions coming from the main office.

Would you like some hints? Well, our war room is like a castle hall, except it’s modern, with huge TVs and whiteboards hanging from the walls. We also have a bowling alley, fridge with a fresh supply of food and beer, spare computers and printers for anyone to use, and a garden.

Yeaaah…I’m joking. We have a comfy room with a couch, two chairs, and a projector. But our team is small, so we do great with just that. As I said, it depends. You have to find your own, good luck! =]